Profiles

For Tracey Tarantino, fashion is a constant, an integral part of daily life that naturally evolves with her activities and environment. “For me, fashion isn’t about adhering to ‘high’ fashion trends,” she explains. “It’s about expressing a personal, elevated and curated sense of form, fit and function that aligns with my lifestyle.” Tarantino is the founder and executive director of Zzazz Productions, a Chicago area company that produces fashion shows. The company produced the domestic traveling fashion show for United Health Care and the original live and video fashion shows for JourneyCare, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, Ingalls Hospital, Service …

Le Marche is a region in eastern Italy between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. In 1907, emigrants from the region who had settled in Chicago Heights after leaving their homeland for a chance at a better life in America founded an ethnic mutual aid society then called the Società di Mutuo Sorcorso Unione Marchegiana. While the group has evolved over the ensuing 118 years —including incorporating as a non-profit under the name of Marchegiana Society of Chicago Heights — it continues to thrive today. Ron Lucarini, who has served as the group’s president for the past 16 years, …

On Oct. 11, the Florentine Room in the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia was packed to capacity to hear Enrico Benedetti M.D., FACS give his first-ever public presentation about his work and life. The lecture was titled “Reflections of an Italian Medical Immigrant in the U.S.” and it was received with rapt attention. Dr. Benedetti grew up in the countryside near Gubbio, first studying at the University of Florence from 1979-85 graduating cum laude with his medical degree and then continuing his residency into 1989. He desired to practice medicine in the United States so he applied to 110 …

The Arcolian Dental Arts Society presented Ron Onesti with the 2025 Arcolian of the Year Award at its Christmas party on Dec. 9 at Venuti’s in Addison. The following profile was provided by the organization: Ron Onesti currently serves as president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and third vice president of the Italian American Veterans Museum and is a past chairman of Casa Italia. For most people, that would be a lifetime’s worth of achievements, but for Ron, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Ron has been …

In 2008, as America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were raging, Dr. Joseph E. Troiani identified a major problem: There weren’t enough qualified psychology professionals to help returning service members. “We were already about seven years into the war and I had the realization that we didn’t have enough trained clinical psychologists to work with and address various mental health issues of returning veterans,” Troiani says. Troiani was exceptionally well qualified to make his assessment. He has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and since 1993 had both served as the director of behavioral health programs for the Will County Health …

Most every month you can find members of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals getting together for what they call “Italian-Style Networking.” As a recent example, in September they met at the Zen Conference Room in Logan Square to mingle while enjoying delicious arancini, gelato with Italian Amarena cherry syrup and a presentation about Sicily given by CIAP’s founder and president, Salvatore J. Sciacca. “We have a lot of events, some in the suburbs, some in the city, some at people’s homes around the dinner table,” Sciacca says. “But we are always having great food, great Italian food.” Sciacca says they’ve …

From selling comic books as a kid to creating one of fashion’s first online giants, Federico Marchetti has lived his life at the intersection of creativity and commerce. Federico Marchetti, founder and former CEO of the online fashion retailer YOOX Net-a-Porter, recently published his memoir, “The Geek of Chic: An American Dream, Italian Style.” Featuring a foreword by the late fashion icon Giorgio Armani, Marchetti’s memoir describes his goal of blending American innovation with Italian craftsmanship. From a small town in Italy, Marchetti’s journey led him to work for Lehman Brothers, earn an MBA in the United States and establish …

Changing positions three or four times a day as part of a mobile unit in Vietnam, Calogero Lombardo survived relentless marches, blistering heat, crippling diseases, and wounds to his leg, knee and back during a 12-month tour of duty. The fourth of six children, Calogero Lombardo was born in Altavilla Milicia, Sicily, to Onofrio and Maria (Bucaro) Lombardo. The family immigrated to Chicago in 1956 when Lombardo was 6 years old, settling into the Little Sicily neighborhood of St. Philip Benizi Parish on the city’s Near North Side. In 1961, they bought a home in the neighborhood near Riverview Park. …

A standout high school lacrosse player in New Jersey, John Leone has earned national acclaim for his efforts to rally student-athletes on behalf of the community. John Leone has accomplished a lot for a 17-year-old student-athlete. The 6-foot-4-inch New Jersey native’s stifling defensive stickwork helped lead his varsity high school lacrosse team to its first state title in 11 years. He is also a member of the varsity football team. But it was his off-the-field accomplishments that earned him the prestigious national U.S. Congressional Award Bronze Medal earlier this year. One of the highest civilian honors for youth presented by …

Like many successful educators, DuPage High School District 88 Superintendent Jean Barbanente was inspired to embark on the profession by a wonderful teacher. Her Italian teacher at Maine South High School in suburban Chicago’s Park Ridge, Stella Martorana Weber, made Italian language, history and culture come alive for her students, Barbanente recalls. “She engaged us in a way I had never experienced before,” she recalls. “She truly cared about each and every one of us.  She motivated me not only to continue to study Italian, but to add additional languages to my studies, and to consider education as a professional …